How to Catch a Trophy Bass

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

Good fishing rod and reel
Limited tackle
the ability to be patient

Step 1

The all time greatest question I have heard from either novice fisherman or even fisherman that have fished for several years is how to catch that lunker bass. Did you know that the average fish caught by everyday angler is 4 ½ pounds? I had read that in some fishing magazine I have laying around the house here. But until reading it and talking to several guy’s and gal’s that I have fished with over the years it seams to be a true statement. I guess that I have been in the right place at the right time over the years because I have caught numerous fish over 7lbs and 10 or more over the 10lbs range.

The first thing you want to remember when going after that lunker bass is that they are big for a reason. They are not easy to catch. If they were then we would all have one hanging on the wall. This shouldn’t aggravate the common weekend angler because I’m no professional angler and I have caught several big bass. The one thing you should remember when going after these lunkers in that it takes patience. Not everyone has the patients that it takes to catch these lunkers. I will give you some tips that should give you the confidence it takes to hopefully catch that big bass.
Step 2

There are several things you will need to know in order to put yourself in the place to catch a lunker bass. One is to pick the easiest time of the year to catch one. Since most of these big bass hang in the deeper waters of the lake, they take the common weekend angler or the angler that can’t afford a boat out of the picture through most of the year. There is one time of the year that even the angler that does most of their fishing from the bank will be able to take these lunker bass. That time is in the spring. Spring is when these fish come out of the deeper water to spawn. They will usually find non-windy pockets of the lake, shallow creeks, soft muddy bottoms to lay their eggs for the year. Now that we have narrowed down the best time of year to catch these lunkers, now we can concentrate on how to catch them and what to catch them with.
Step 3

Let’s start with what kind of lures to catch them with. The old saying about bass fishing is the bigger the bait, the bigger the fish. Well that is a fairly true statement. The only drawback is that there have been several lunker bass caught off of small petite baits. That just goes to show you that these fish can be caught on either or. During the time of the year that were talking about my suggestion is to go with baits that will make the fish feel is threatening their nest. Perch (bluegill), snakes, salamanders, and small bass are some of the predators that will prey on bass eggs. So when we take that into consideration we should use the baits that resemble these predators. Remember that bass can spawn in as little as 1 to 2 foot of water up to 12 foot depending on the bass. The more shallow you go the less action you will want on your bait. For instance, if you can literally see the bass on the spawning beds and they are very shallow then you can’t really get a perch or bass looking crank bait to this location. In this case try using a Texas rigged or no weighted plastic worm or salamander. If these lunkers are deeper, say 4 to 5 feet then you could very easily run your crank bait then.
Step 4

Once you have selected the location, time and baits for these lunker bass, now it is time for the presentation of the lure. We will start with the shallow bedding fish. Now if you are fishing from the bank you will want to cast from a distance from the edge of the water. These fish could be right at the edge of the bank and you do not want to spook them when you walk up. If you are fishing from a boat then you will want to turn your trolling motor on as low as possible to safely keep you off the edge of the bank. But do remember that sound travels easily in water and you could spook these giant lunkers before you even make your first cast.

When approaching the edges of the bank, try using your sight ability to locate these lunkers on the beds. Once you have spotted them, keep your distance. When casting try not to cast your lure right on top of these beds. These fish will retreat to deeper water and you will have lost your chance for the big one. If the surrounding bank will allow you to, try casting a weed less salamander or worm onto the bank behind the bed and slowly retrieve it into the water quietly. This will maximize your chance of not spooking the bedding bass. Remember what I said in the beginning about patience because this is where you will have to have it. There is nothing more aggravating then to pass your lure just inches in front of the bass and watch the bass turn it’s head. Don’t get to aggressive and spook the fish. Try to change up your retrieves and your lures.
Step 5

Patience is the key to catching these bass or spooking it into the deeper water. If your keep your patience with these lunkers and keep you movement and sound to a minimum, then there is no reason you should not be able to catch the lunker of a lifetime.